Rapture
by Mithlin Megil
Summary: He's lost, Hinata-hime. And he belongs to Orochimaru-sama now - lost in the path to revenge and power, never to come back." An old Sasuke/Hinata Oneshot.


**Disclaimer:** Naruto, and all its characters, does not belong to me. This author is merely using them for entertainment, and thus is not receiving any kind of profit from this piece of work.

An old Uchiha Sasuke/Hyuuga Hinata one-shot, done for an lj community (Sunny Day Love). Enjoy.

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Hyuuga Hinata ran.

She could still hear Haruno Sakura's mocking voice inside her head, see the Traitor-nin's lips mockingly form the words. But she didn't dare believe. Because if she lost faith - if she falters - if she fails him now ---

Then she will break.

_"He's lost, Hinata-hime. And he belongs to Orochimaru-sama now - lost in the path to revenge and power, never to come back."_

The heiress clutched her hand to her heart, white eyes squeezing shut to prevent ice-hot tears from sliding down her cheeks. She wouldn't cry now - not when he needs her strength. Not when he needs her. He'd given her almost everything she now has - everything she ever wanted but had been too afraid to ask. His quiet confidence that she can, his patience, their quiet time together, his silent assurance - everything that she treasures close to her heart.

And now she was close to losing it all - if she lets it.

_"Did you think that with your pathetic presence would make him forget? He's an Avenger, Hinata-hime... or have you forgotten?"_

No, she reminded herself to never forget - but it seemed her heart did, blindly closing its eyes to the stark truth.

Her hands clenched as she continued to run - dodging kunais streaking towards her direction, ruthlessly killing all the Sound nins that stood in her way, sparing them no thought. Her father would have been proud had he seen her - but the once noble Clan of Hyuuga has already fallen, their lives given to the protection of their village.

"Lo, how the mighty has fallen," Sakura had mocked, before falling underneath Shikamaru's shadows, swallowed by eternal darkness.

All around her, people fought - Konoha nin or Suna nin, it didn't matter. All that matters was that they purge their sworn enemies under their allied force - even if it meant their death. Hope lies in the tomorrow, when all the tears that hasd been shed haves dried, when all the blood that rained from the sky has fallen, and smiles are shining again.

But for Hyuuga Hinata, her hope lies in the one man who believed - her happiness and heart in the one man who've shown her how to believe.

It was then that she saw him, engulfed in black flames that seemed to evoke the feeling of emptiness inside her.

Time stopped, dwindled to a close.

She ceased running, heart beating madly in her throat. For her, it seemed as though everything stopped - it was as if everything hads frozen, all except the flames that licked her beloved's form, except for the hate that burned in his red, red eyes.

And in front of him was the Devil himself, struck in the heart by a Fallen Angel.

And then they both started to burn.

"Sasuke!" She couldn't take it - the emptiness in his eyes, only the hate that burned. It was as if someone had taken a white-hot dagger and plunged it to her heart, so twisted was the pain building inside her. "Kami-sama, please no!"

Her feet ran once more, faster than ever before - to reach her beloved, to remind him of who he was, to give back what he gave her, to save him as he saved her. And her heart bled as she saw his face turn, face speckled with blood, hate slowly dwindling away until nothing but endless sorrow is left.

Still, they continued to burn.

Taking a chance, Hinata leaped - arms outstretched, as if welcoming somebody home - and caught him, hands cradling Sasuke, protecting him from any other hurt as they skidded on the harsh ground, finally stopping a few meters away. Hinata held him tighter, cradled him like a mother would to an injured child, absorbing his unshed tears, his sorrow, his hate finally giving way to numbness, to nothingness a void that seemed to swallow all.

"I killed him," Sasuke murmured emptily. "I killed him."

Hinata pressed trembling lips to his forehead, where his Hitae-ate used to lay. "I know."

Suddenly, Hinata felt hot tears sliding down her neck, and she held him tighter, tears finally sliding down her cheeks as well. Together, they cried, him for what should have beens, for regrets, for lost dreams, and her for him, for his lost innocence, for his dwindling humanity. He clung to her as she clung to him, barely noticing the jubilant shouts of their fellow-nins as the war finally started to end in the distance, neither caring for the others, only for each other.

"Why?" Sasuke asked hoarsely, black flames finally receding from his skin, the cursed stain finally being what it should be - gone, now only like ink stains on skin that one forgot to clean. "You saved me. Why? There's nothing for me to live now - He is gone. I have killed him. My duty to my family is gone. My revenge has taken all my life - there is nothing left."

Hinata's eyes widened in shock, and she drew back slightly from their cocoon, slim hands going to his shoulders to shake him, suddenly angry. "How could you say that? How could you?" she hissed, normally soft tones angry, filled with fury. "There is nothing left, you say? So I should just commit seppuku because my family is gone too? I've killed the one who murdered my family - is the purpose of my life over now? Answer me!"

Sasuke sucked in a startled breath, looking up to stare at her in disbelief. "Your family? Your family's dead? What about your cousin? Your sister?"

"Neji-niisan was the one who killed my father." Hinata answered simply, without hate. "He and Haruno Sakura-san were the spies. We never knew. Hanabi and Father died honorably."

"And Neji?"

Hinata closed her eyes in shame, unable to look at his black eyes. "I killed him."

"...so he's dead." Sasuke murmured, and reached up to press his forehead to Hinata. "And Konoha?"

"Konoha will live," she said softly, "...even without the Honorable Clan of Hyuuga. You are the only one left that I care about. The only one left that I can give my heart to. Live for me, please, Sasuke. Even if it's selfish of me--"

"You're never selfish, my little sparrow," Sasuke cut in, holding her tightly. "It was me who has been selfish - me who had been weak. Up until the end, you have never lost faith, even when I myself had been lost." He smiled crookedly. "No wonder Dead Last had a crush on you."

Hinata blinked stupidly. "He did?"

"He did."  
"And...?"  
"And I said, you're already mine."

Time moved once more.


End file.
